Everyone smiles in the same language
It’s true, a dolphin told me, via a caption (that I presume was a direct translation of dolphin speak) on a laminated poster featuring the afore mentioned grinning aquatic mammal. That was on my brothers bedroom wall about 20 years ago and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. The act of smiling has, however, in the course of recent week cropped up over and over again. I could have called this piece ‘I love your smile…’ or ‘Smile like you mean it’ – but popular culture references tend fade fast in cyberspace. The first of those two songs was played over and over at the conference I worked at this week accompanied by large images of a two up turned painted red lips suspended apart by a rack of glistening white teeth.
If everyone smiles in the same language than may be we could conduct some kind of international smiling day, whereby all beings meet all bothers and others with a smile. If we did it for a day we might not see the need to return to the current fashions of unfriendliness. I’ve been trying to smile recently, whenever I can and to whomever I come across; but it can be a tricky business and since the corners of my mouth turn down, it also requires effort. I like to think of my face and eyes as highly expressive, they normally convey everything whether I want them to or not. So looking at a stranger and smiling is the case of picking the correct expression for the right person, surroundings and timing; they come from an inbuilt bank of a thousand different smiles. You have to get the right one. There has to be no chance you will be seen as in any way mocking, insane, sarcastic or unhinged.
The particular smile I generally opt for has broad but not exaggerated lift of my lower cheeks, with a slight pursing of the lips and a dip of my eyebrows. The effect should be one of impartiality, acceptance, compassion and warmth – like seeing an old friend or relative. It allows me to accept and enjoy all that I see around me, even with it’s inherent problems and contradictions; in fact a higher incidence of smiling makes me more inclined to do something about these negativities. It also makes you feel good when people smile back, hopefully they will feel happy too and will continue it on for the good of all. If people do look freaked out or upset I avert my gaze quickly but internally make an attempt to relieve them of their negativity, taking it onboard myself, knowing it can be diffused through my own inner happiness and knowledge of inherent existence. With this in mind you have to hope they will smile more themselves in future.
After all, if we all want to be as happy as we can, as much of the time, smiling, niceness and kindness, while arguably flawed, is an instinctive and surefire first step towards this. Perhaps try it yourself – what’s to lose?
"Live and breathe despite pain and despair.
Smile back at their stare and afford them your care."
mantra 023.
If everyone smiles in the same language than may be we could conduct some kind of international smiling day, whereby all beings meet all bothers and others with a smile. If we did it for a day we might not see the need to return to the current fashions of unfriendliness. I’ve been trying to smile recently, whenever I can and to whomever I come across; but it can be a tricky business and since the corners of my mouth turn down, it also requires effort. I like to think of my face and eyes as highly expressive, they normally convey everything whether I want them to or not. So looking at a stranger and smiling is the case of picking the correct expression for the right person, surroundings and timing; they come from an inbuilt bank of a thousand different smiles. You have to get the right one. There has to be no chance you will be seen as in any way mocking, insane, sarcastic or unhinged.
The particular smile I generally opt for has broad but not exaggerated lift of my lower cheeks, with a slight pursing of the lips and a dip of my eyebrows. The effect should be one of impartiality, acceptance, compassion and warmth – like seeing an old friend or relative. It allows me to accept and enjoy all that I see around me, even with it’s inherent problems and contradictions; in fact a higher incidence of smiling makes me more inclined to do something about these negativities. It also makes you feel good when people smile back, hopefully they will feel happy too and will continue it on for the good of all. If people do look freaked out or upset I avert my gaze quickly but internally make an attempt to relieve them of their negativity, taking it onboard myself, knowing it can be diffused through my own inner happiness and knowledge of inherent existence. With this in mind you have to hope they will smile more themselves in future.
After all, if we all want to be as happy as we can, as much of the time, smiling, niceness and kindness, while arguably flawed, is an instinctive and surefire first step towards this. Perhaps try it yourself – what’s to lose?
"Live and breathe despite pain and despair.
Smile back at their stare and afford them your care."
mantra 023.
posted by Marcus Woodrow at 00:37
1 Comments:
i had that poster.
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